wtf is this foam crap.
 

can i just scrap the foam taht's liek attached underneath the radiators and stuff? they're all crackign up from being old. i was wondering if i could just scrap them and not replace it. does it matter?

also. i'm looking to get a new radiator, aftermarket radiators better? or not really

oh and i heard the temprature gauge sucks stock. so i was wondering what could i do to fix it. is it the actual gauge that sucks? or the temp sensor not working correctly. do i have to replace both? and where can i go to get a whole new gauge set up, i mean like the temp, mph, fuel, boost, rpm. i want to replace that entire thing

the foam is there to keep air from flowing around the radiator. if everything is in place , the foam seals the areas around the radiator to only give air 1 path to flow through the radiator. you shouldn't lose any appreciable amount of cooling by getting rid of the old crusty foam. it probably was too beat up to do its job in the first place.

The foam- when new- sealed the gaps around the radiator so air had no choice but to go through the fins rather than escape around.

The S5 water temp gauge is not really linear, i.e., it does not respond much to temp variations.
All sorts of companies make replacement gauges (VDO, Autometer, etc.) and the new gauge must be installed with the supplied sensor.
If you search the forum there have been a few folks who have replaced the whole gauge cluster with aftermarket units. It can't be easy...matching the impedence of the fuel level sending unit and getting a speedo to work will take some research.

Or just use the vastly more accurate S4 water temp sender with the S5 gauge.

An all aluminum aftermarket radiator will increase your cooling capacity over the stock unit. Just be sure to keep your fan shroud as well as the underbelly pan.

Koyo and Fluidyne are two popular brands for drop-in replacments.

ohhh ok... damn i really wanna replace the whole gauge cluster xD. but that might be way in over my head. i thought the gauges were driven electronically, not mechanically

as for the foam. should i replace it then? or is there someting else i can put

You could always custom make shields from sheet aluminum to seal off the gaps but foam is quick and easy...if not particularly durable.
I used garage door sealing foam from Ace Hardware and just stuffed it into the gaps.
Not perfect, but serviceable.

I thought the senders were exactly the same, and it was the gauge that was inaccurate.

Great Stuff anyone?

The Foam that goes around Window AC units. Get it from wal mart. Only a couple bucks...

I read somewhere the stock temp gauge had 3 readings on it. cold, warm and new engine.

its not that the gauges are inaccurate, its just there is no numerical references on them anywhere. that and the fact that once the coolant is "warm" the temp gauge stays put. manufacturers do that so the general public doesnt freak when they see their water temps go up and down slightly.

The radiator is restrictive. Lots of air goes around it, not through it, if it can. Just replace the foam with something else to block that pathway and you're good to go. Also don't forget the underside (and you still have the plastic undertray in your engine bay, right?) In the meantime I doubt going foamless will hurt your cooling capacity enough to cause any problems. Especially with winter coming.

Bronze MFP: s5 only. The s4 temp sender is fairly linear, though it seems to be weighted slightly so it tends to go away from center. Kinda the opposite of the s5 sender in every way.

is there anyway to find a temp gauge that has no buffers? if i just bought a gauge, and it came with the sensor, think i'll be able to put it into the dash cluster? i kinda want to replace the entire dash cluster so i doesn't look like frankenstein, like what you see in those "ricer civics" (bleh)

i'm thinking about the aluminum sheliding, although i'm a little questionable on how to attatch it to the underside of the radiator w/o punching holes into it. and yes i still have the undertray =]

waht if i get a koyo radiator or a nice one, think it'll be really restrictive still?

ah good to know. thanks :)